Learning about the Coexistence between Nature and Humans in Elementary Science Education: Developing Lessons Using Folktales That Reflect Ancestors’ Views on Nature

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The originality of the research is appreciated. However, reference(s) on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) research would be useful for the readers. The results would need statistical analysis.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Line 80- not clear, please rewrite.

Line 116 Not clear, do you mean: How can science lessons be developed that use folk tales which reflect ancestors' views of nature, in particular how nature and humans coexist?

Line 118 Not clear, do you mean: What are the effects of such lessons on pupils' ides about how nature and humans coexist?

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript.  Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for inviting me to review this manuscript. I found the study to be very engaging and creative in using local folktales in the teaching of elementary science education content. I have suggestions for more details in the methods and a consideration for implications or further research.

The study was well organized, with a great display of tables and figures to show the findings of the study. The overall aim of the study was comparative in nature with an experimental group and a control group using a specific folktale. Though much is not given about the instructor, this can be clarified more in the methods. The first author was the instructor of the two lessons, but was this the author's regular classes? Who were the other authors and what were their roles in the study? Were all 134 fifth-grade students those of the first author? Was one class of students the experimental and then the next class of students was the control? Was the lesson taught over two days (two periods)?

Though you did not have a gender analysis, were there differences in how female/male students responded to the lessons, particularly in connections to nature and self? Studies show differences in girls' and boys' engagement and interest in science. Perhaps teaching science using folktales is a method of increasing the interest of girls and their connections to nature.

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I thank the authors for their work. The paper is interesting,and the topic is very fascinating.

116 - RQ1: I recommend „Which science lessons can be developed by using...

139 – A detailed description of the participants is required – age, school grade. How were they divided into experimental/control group?

Figure 1 – Did the authors translate the folktale? Mention something about it in the methods part. Also, reconsider the formulation of some sentences.

Table 3 – Q2 – I don’t understand this question. Well, I think it is too general. What answers were you expecting? 

202-Progress of the lessons – do you have any lesson scenarios? With some questions and steps (maybe not necessarily for pupils but maybe for teachers). I see questions in the text, but maybe…

280 – results – provide some examples of how you categorized the answers. Also, put some of the pupil's answers into the paper (not only the category).

Figure 2 and Figure 3 – try to put the results of the control and experimental group into one graph. It would be interesting to compare them together and see it.

353 – Discussion – have you tried to find some papers from other countries maybe not about folktales but about fairytales? 

 

What are the limitations of the study?

Ethical statements – did students agree to take part in the study? 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The manuscript should be reviewed.

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf